There's No Way that Ayase Can be Sleeping With Me!
by Epik121
Summary: I knew she was coming over for a sleepover, Kirino had told me beforehand. But when I was slapped in the middle of the night, I was expecting my little sister to be on top of me, not her.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone, Epik121 here. I've been reading for awhile and decided that it's a shame to see the lack of material in the Oreimo section, so I thought I'd contribute.

This story takes place in a time when Kyousuke and Kuroneko aren't dating and Kirino has come back from America. Another thing: I'll be using more of Kyousuke's light novel character. There's little difference between the light-novel character and the anime/manga character, except that he's more direct about his attraction to Ayase in the light novel. I'll stop talking now; enjoy everyone!

* * *

"I'm home."

I entered the living room quietly with my eyes closed. I sneaked one furtive glance to the couch to get a scan of the vicinity and as usual, there she was, browsing one of her fashion magazines. I closed my eyes, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention from her. I opened the fridge, poured myself a cup of iced tea, and downed it as quickly as I could. I was just about to leave when suddenly...

"Hey."

...Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"What?" I replied.

I turned around and glared at her, hoping that she'd maybe talk to me a little more nicely like a cute little sister should, but to no avail. I admit that my relationship with Kirino has gotten better recently. I'm happy now that she's back home, and my life has restored its daily pace with her occasional life-counseling sessions. But still, that doesn't mean she's become gentle and kind to me. I'm still kind of beaten around by her which sucks.

She kept speaking, "Ayase is coming over for a sleepover tonight. I want you to get a hotel and stay out of the house for the night."

I choked. "What! Like hell I'm gonna go out of my way and stay at a hotel just because your little friend is spending the night!"

She sighed out of exasperation and shook her head, this bratty little girl..."THIS is why people think your useless! Fine, but you'd better stay in your room and lock yourself up, I'll bring dinner up for you, no excuses! I don't want you to be in a 3 foot radius of Ayase, you hear?"

"Alright alright, I got it geez...it's not like I want to be with Ayase-san anyway..."

That wasn't completely true. Although Ayase has been a very large source of stress and pain for me in the past, I'm still really attracted to her. She's so cute and pretty and innocent too, ignoring the fact that she can go into this weird, insane killer phase sometimes (which scares the living hell out of me!). I only wish she didn't think of me as a lecherous, incestuous, immoral, perverted bastard...but hey, what am I gonna do?

As much as I try to convince her that I am not lusting after my little sister, she still thinks that I would sexually molest Kirino if given the chance, which I most definitely would not! But my relationship with Ayase isn't as nearly as bad as it was when she first found out about Kirino's otaku hobby...but still, it's pretty bad.

Kirino gave me one more warning before I trudged upstairs and went into my room. I did some homework, played a little eroge, and finally decided to go downstairs to watch some TV. I plopped down at the couch and had just turned on the TV when I heard the doorbell go off.

I heard Kirino run down the stairs and open up the door. She stopped to give me a death-glare, then went on to greet Ayase and welcome her into the house.

Kirino said, "Ayase! Come in, come in! Just give me a second, I have to get something from my room."

"Alright, take your time Kirino."

Ahhh, Ayase's voice is so gentle and soft, except for when she's talking to me. Then she sounds kinda bitchy and irritated but that has some level of attraction in itself too.

Yeah, I have been playing too much eroge lately. Reeeallly gotta lay off those tsundere characters.

She and I made eye contact, and that was when the Ayase route began.

"Hello Onii-san, pardon my intrusion."

"Oh hey Ayase-san. How've you been?"

"I've been well. By the way onii-san, I brought a present for you. Can you come over here?"

A present? From the lovely Ayase-tan? Don't worry, I'm coming!

As I was in front of her, she asked me to close my eyes. What could it be? Candy? A photo from one of her shoots? The endless possibilities began to fill my head as I waited in anticipation.

That is, until I felt two cold shackles of metal latch onto my wrists.

I opened my eyes. "...Ayase-san? What are these?"

"Handcuffs."

"No, I know what they are, but why are you handcuffing me?"

"To make sure you don't sexually harass Kirino or me."

Dammit! How can such a cute face say such cruel things? What have I done to deserve this?

"Um, haha...Ayase-san, I really don't think these are necessary-"

"Ayase! you can come up now!" Kirino just came downstairs from her room.

"Got it Kirino! I'll see you later onii-san."

Just like that, I was brushed aside by Ayase and Kirino. I tried to stop them, "Wait! Kirino! Ayase handcuffed me!"

"Oh really? That's great!" Kirino said.

I collapsed on the floor and curled into a fetal position, dejected and depressed that both my imouto and my imouto's best friend had rejected me, left out here to die cold and alone...well, that's the end of that. I hurriedly struggled to get up (the handcuffs made things a lot harder) and returned to the living room. There really wasn't anything interesting on television. As I flipped through the channels I saw an episode of Meruru playing, and I immediately skipped to another channel for fear of Ayase catching me.

My situation with Ayase was really just abysmal. She's even threatened to kill me, and I've tasted the sole of her shoe more than just a couple of times. Sometimes I wish I could just yell, "I'M NOT THE OTAKU! MY IMOUTO IS! KIRINO IS THE ONE THAT LIKES ALL THOSE WEIRD EROGES WITH LITTLE SISTERS IN THEM! MY SISTER IS THE ONE THAT IS THE BORDERLINE PEDOPHILE DESPITE HER AGE!"

...But I could never do that. As much as Kirino beats me and doesn't seem to appreciate what I do for her, I am her aniki, and I have the duty to protect my imouto at all times. It's hard, but it's even harder to see Kirino suffer in depression and solitude so I do whatever I can to save her, even if that means sacrificing myself. Ayase might hate my guts, but whenever I see her and Kirino walk side by side as best friends, I get this warm feeling in my heart. If my sister is happy, then I'm happy. I don't need a thank you, or an apology, or a hug from my little imouto; my sister's happiness is enough for me, that's how I feel.

As I delved into these complex thoughts, I dozed off to a peaceful and satisfied sleep...until I was rudely slapped in the face by Kirino.

She curtly said, "Ayase and I want ice cream. Go down to the store and buy some."

I officially take back whatever I said about me being satisfied with just my sister's happiness, screw my sister! I HATE MY IMOUTO...ahh, who am I kidding. Guys like me are bound to be exploited by their little sisters, that's just the sad world I live in.

I opened my mouth to say something back, but I knew that anything I said would basically equate to white noise in my sister's ears, so I just sighed and got up. I dragged my feet, put on my slippers, and proceeded to open the door when suddenly...

"Wait!"

I did a double-take to see that...Ayase just asked me to wait?

She said, "I'll go with onii-san to the store."

Kirino and I were thoroughly confused. Kirino asked, "A-Ayase, are you sure? You don't need go out with him-"

"No, it's fine. I feel bad for waking him up and making him buy us ice cream."

"Well, alright then...if you insist I guess." Kirino hesitantly said.

* * *

It was a warm summer's night.

The air was comforting and slightly humid while the familiar ring of cicadas filled the background. Ayase and I were walking at a slow and even pace, although it was kind of awkward for me because I wanted to ask her why she had decided to come with me. There was a strange contentment in my heart, and I dare not speak for fear of making Ayase angry again. Today's actually been remarkably well, since I haven't pushed her into her insane mood once so far, and I didn't want to ruin that.

But I decided to break the silence anyway. "Ayase, why did you come with me to get ice cream?"

"Because I felt kind of bad for making onii-san do this all by yourself. Plus we woke you up."

"Aww, I thought you came with me because you liked me..." I always flirt a little with Ayase for some reason, which is kind of weird because I don't flirt with anyone else.

She quickly responded, "Onii-san! Don't be ridiculous! I'll have you know that I came here on a whim! Don't think that I came here because I like you or anything! That's right, I just came to make sure you get the right kind of ice cream, that's all!"

Ahh the classic tsundere. My heart fluttered when I heard those words. Ayase can be so perfect in some ways, except when she tries to kill me, but that's okay because it just adds an extra edge to her gentle yet violent nature. I've already confessed that I've been playing too much eroge lately, alright?

I smartly replied, "Oh really? Is that so? And what kind of ice cream are you looking for?"

"The-The strawberry kind!" she said as she pouted at me.

Ahh, my lovely Ayase-tan. It's only a matter of time until this gentle facade is crushed by some unfortunate event framing me as a pervert.

At that moment, some random passerby commented, "Oh my god, look at those handcuffs! Are those two involved in SM play or something?"

My heart shrank in fear as Ayase's foot jammed into my ribs. Damn that stupid and oblivious stranger! Oh why did I have to jinx myself? What rotten luck I have...

I gagged from the pain. "A-Ayase-san! What was that for!"

"Look at what you've done!" she yelled. "Because of you, people think that we're some weird couple involved in strange fetishes! Baka! Ecchi! Go die in a hole you pervert, this world would be a better place without your filthy kind polluting the population!"

"B-But you're the one who put these handcuffs on me!"

"That's besides the point!"

She continued chasing me until we had run all the way to the convenience store. We were both a bit out of breath, so we finally gave up on the chase. Well, that's what I thought until she gave me one good slap in the face for degrading her in public. Then she finally took a seat on the curb and caught her breath.

Once she had caught some air, she said, "Just for that, you're buying me two ice creams."

"Alright, alright, I'll buy you two ice creams just because I like you so much."

"Geez, you're making fun of me again."

"Maybe. Or maybe not."

"There you go again, onii-san."

I got up and walked towards the freezer. I carefully looked at the selection of ice cream the store had. Maybe I'd surprise Ayase by actually getting a strawberry bar, that'd be pretty funny. I started chuckling at how ingeniously clever I was, until I got slammed in the face with a...snowball?

I wiped the ice off my cold face and turned my head, only to be slammed with another snowball. I saw Ayase scraping ice off of the sides of the freezer and compacting it into little snowballs. She tossed another one, but I caught it.

"Ha! I caught your snowball!"

Little did I know she had another one in her hand, and she proceeded to hit me again. I retaliated by attempting to form my own snowball, but with my shackled hands, the task proved to be too difficult. Once Ayase realized what I was doing, she yelled,

"Somebody help! This pervert is sexually harrassing me and throwing ice at me!"

Just like that, everyone dropped their bags like zombies, mesmerized by Ayase's beautiful face and perfectly executed rape-alarm. As if they were coordinating their movements, the shoppers (and even the clerk) grabbed me by the limbs and tossed me out onto the asphalt, but not before Ayase pickpocketed my wallet from me. I looked back through the glass panels, and saw her cheerfully waving back at me as if nothing had happened.

There's no way my imouto's best friend is this cruel...

* * *

Finally, she came back out of the store.

"You reap what you sow, onii-san."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Oh yes you did! You teased me by saying you liked me and everything!"

"That's because I do like you!"

She kicked me again, this time in the arm. I'm gonna have bruises everywhere tomorrow.

She said, "I'm gonna call you pedophile onii-san from now on."

"Please don't."

Ayase giggled a little as she gave me a chocolate bar from her bag. She had emptied my wallet to buy more ice cream than was necessary. Don't get me wrong, I didn't really have much money to begin with, but I was still a little angry.

We continued walking back home. The air felt heavy with warm moisture, but the weight felt kind of nice on my skin because it reminded me of the summer vacation I had in front of me. We were about halfway home when Ayase broke the silence,

"Onii-san, I trust that you've been keeping with our promise, right?"

"Hmm? You mean the promise that we'd get married someday?"

Ayase promptly proceeded to stomp my foot as hard as possible. I apologized for teasing her again.

"Please onii-san, I'm trying to be serious with you here. You haven't done anything incestuous with Kirino, right?"

"Yes Ayase-san, I haven't been molesting Kirino. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not in love with my sister!"

"It's hard to believe you, onii-san. You have lied to me many times. How do you expect me to believe a liar if that liar hasn't proved his words?"

I was about to make another joke again, but I instantly decided against it. There was truth in her words: I have lied to her a lot, and liars are what Ayase hates the most in this world. All the lies I say are usually just jokes and flirts, but I guess Ayase doesn't like it when I play with her heart. I carefully thought of what I should say, as if I was making the critical choice at the confession scene in an eroge, and I said,

"Ayase-san, I'm sorry. I apologize for lying to you so much, and I apologize for all the other times I've offended you. And you're right, I really am just a bad person and a liar."

I took another second to think of what to say, then I continued,

"But tell me Ayase-san, how can I prove my words to you? How can I prove to you that I'm really an honest and truthful guy? Whatever it takes, I'll do it, just say what I have to do and it will be done."

I stared her firmly in the eyes as I spoke, and once I finished my speech Ayase blushed and quickly looked away to hide her face. She stuttered a little at first, but then she said,

"I-I don't know right now! Asking me such a question suddenly out of the blue, it's natural that I won't have an immediate answer! But I'll definitely think of a way to prove yourself in the future, so you better not forget!"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise Ayase-san. I promise that when the time comes, I will prove myself. I'll prove that I don't like my sister, that I'm not a siscon, okay?"

Ayase quietly said, "Mmm, I'll hold you to that...you better not forget, Liar Pedophile Onii-san!"

"Heh, don't make such weird nicknames for me. Come on, I pinky-promise."

Our pinkies entwined, and we held each other tightly. I took the time to carefully take in the feel of her smooth pinky, because this was the first time ever that I've touched Ayase-san and haven't been roundhouse-kicked in the face for it. It was only her pinky, I'll admit, but it was progress nonetheless.

She said with a blush, "You better not break this promise Onii-san! If you do I'll...I'll kill you!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry Ayase-san you can trust me on this one."

We arrived home and I opened the door for her. She thanked me and ran upstairs with her bag of ice cream.

I was in a really good mood. Like a super really good mood. It feels like I've made some progress with Ayase, and I think she's starting to understand me a little more. Plus we made a genuine pinky-promise. If this was an eroge, then I'd be at like 90% completion on the Ayase-route. Dammit, I have to stop thinking in such weirs ways.

But I've gotta watch out now, I can't break this promise...if it's Ayase, she really will kill me.

* * *

It was late. I was now in my bed, ready to sleep but I still couldn't get Ayase off my mind for some reason. I looked through my texts and found the first text that Ayase had sent me. The one that she sent me after she and Kirino had made up, the one that was addressed, "to big liar onii-san". I read it over a few times, and recalled my memories of that time. I was proud of those memories because it was one of the greatest things I did for my sister, although I did also ruin my relationship Ayase at that time.

I replayed the memories over and over in my head, until I finally dozed off into a quiet and content sleep for the second time...

Only to be slapped awake in the middle of the night by...Ayase?

* * *

A/N: So how was it? A little OOC? Maybe for those that haven't read the light novels, but Kyousuke really is more direct with Ayase in them which was kind of a shock for me too. I really do recommend reading at least online summaries of the light novels, they have a lot of extra information and plot that really supplement and enrichen the entire story. I'll be putting up the next chapter soon.

Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

Proceeding to Chapter 2

* * *

I reacted violently.

"What the-!"

She slapped her hand on my mouth and shushed me. It took me a few seconds to recollect my thoughts and breath, and once I finally felt my heartbeat slow down, I stared her in the eye. She got the message and let go of me.

I said, "Umm...Ayase-san, Kirino's room is next door."

She curtly replied, "I know."

"Then what are you doing on my bed?"

I saw her cheeks blush in the pale moonlight as she shyly broke eye contact with me. She was so cute and graceful in the night that my heart began to race, and that was when it hit me: maybe she's here to finally give me her love confession? She couldn't do it when Kirino was awake, so she came to me in the dead of night to tell me that she loves me! It all makes sense, that's gotta be it!

After an awkward silence, she replied, "To tell you the truth onii-san..."

Wait for it, wait for the confession!

"...once I went to bed, Kirino started playing her eroge."

I mentally facepalmed in disappointment and anger: disappointment in that I basically set myself up for this misunderstanding, and anger because I couldn't believe that Kirino would dare play her eroge when Ayase is over at our house for a sleepover. Damn that Kirino, why does she have to be so stupid sometimes?

Once I picked myself back up from my mental facepalm, I said, "Okay, so Kirino is playing her eroge. So why have you come to my room?"

"Well...she makes weird noises when she plays..."

"Yeah she tends to do that, I understand your pain. More than you know."

I lightly pressed my ear and listened for Kirino...

"So moe...OH MY GOD THAT IS SO ERO! THIS IS DEFINITELY BORDERLINE ILLEGAL EVEN FOR AN EROGE! BUT THAT'S THE BEST PART, oh eroge I love you so..."

I sighed, realizing what the issue is.

"So in other words, you can't sleep because of the sounds Kirino is making?"

She nodded to confirm.

I continued, "And furthermore, you wish to sleep in my room because you can't sleep in Kirino's room?"

This time, she pouted to confirm. Sometimes I can read Ayase like an open book; other times, not so much. But anyway, I realized the danger of this situation. Ayase is someone who will kill me if I even touch her, yet at the same time she wants to sleep in my room. I was basically in a lose-lose situation...or am I?

She looked me in the eye and said, "Onii-san, you'd better know that I have no choice but to be here! I'd much rather be in Kirino's room if it weren't for the fact that she'd be playing eroge while I would be sleeping! It's not like I want to sleep with onii-san!"

She and I both caught the suggestive innuendo of her last sentence. She quickly turned away from me and kept speaking. "So...so that's why it would be nice if you let me sleep in here tonight."

I replied, "Alright, alright I get it. But I can't really get the futons out without waking my parents up so you'll have to sleep on the floor."

"..."

I was met with dead silence. I could feel Ayase's ice cold, yet searing stare burn into the side of my face. I was too scared to make eye contact with her because I knew that I had just said something that was incomprehensible to Ayase.

With venom in her voice she said, "Onii-san, did you seriously just suggest that I sleep on the hard, wooden, cold, uncomfortable floor?"

"W-Well, I really don't see any other way this would work..."

"Obviously onii-san will be the one to take the floor while I sleep in the bed."

I retorted, "Absolutely not! I'm not gonna sleep on the floor just because you waltz in here expecting me to give up my bed!"

"Then what do you want me to do, sleep with your parents?"

"It's either the floor or you sleep together with me in the bed."

Ayase looked like she was about to explode. I braced myself for impact until she finally let out a sigh.

She quietly said, "Fine, I get it."

"Good, I'm glad we straightened that out-"

"Move over."

Wait what? Why does she want me to move over in my bed?

She repeated, "Move over. How do you expect me to sleep here when you're taking up all the room?"

Oh my god. She's actually gonna sleep with me in the bed.

She was getting really impatient, so I silently obliged and moved over to the very edge of my bed, to the point where I was actually touching the wall. She lifted up the covers and tucked herself in. I felt her gently tugging on the blanket for warmth. It's a weird feeling to have another person sleep with you in a single-sized bed.

I remained motionless. As time passed by, I attuned myself better to the silence and heard Ayase's subtle, but whispy breathing. A second later, I heard her giggle softly. Assuming she was awake I asked,

"Wha...What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that I can smell onii-san's scent from the bed."

My heart sank from embarrassment.

Not sure of what to say, I hesitantly asked, "W-Well, what do I smell like?"

"Nothing much, really. It's a very boring smell, just what I'd expect from a guy like you."

That got me a little down. "Well I'm sorry for being such a boring guy."

"Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way. You may not smell like anything in particular, but it's a very...homey and comfortable smell, makes me feel like I'm safe. Besides, onii-san isn't a boring guy at all!"

"What do you mean? Compared to beautiful and glamorous girls like yourself, I must be as interesting as a rock."

Ayase giggled at that one. She replied, "Well I don't think onii-san is a normal guy, I actually think you're very weird. You're a hentai, an otaku, a siscon, a sexual molester, a pedophile..."

"Alright, alright, I get it-"

"...but also kind. Unconditionally kind. The best bigger brother Kirino could ever ask for."

I did a double take at that one. I checked my ears to make sure I heard right; I rubbed my eyes to see if I was in a dream or not, but Ayase was still there. I took those words in deeply and digested them completely. The best bigger brother Kirino could ever ask for, huh...

All of a sudden, I felt my chest swell, and before I knew it I felt a tear creep down my cheek. I started chuckling, a little bit at first, but the laughter became uncontrollable a few seconds later. I wasn't bursting outright with laughter, but it was the kind of quiet laugh that feels like it could last forever, the one that hurts your stomach so much that it feels great. That was the kind of laughter I was having at the moment.

Ayase pouted, "Geez onii-san...what's so funny?"

I controlled my laughter and wiped the tear off my cheek to respond. "N...nothing really, it's just that for you of all people to compliment me, it's kind of shocking, so much that it's funny. From the way Kirino treats me, I always thought that I was a really bad bigger brother."

"No! That's not true! Onii-san is actually a very good bigger brother to Kirino. It's just that Kirino hasn't had a lot of contact with onii-san over the years, and now that she can suddenly speak with you again, she's just having a little trouble expressing herself! I would know, I'm her best friend!"

My heart swelled at that one too. "Hehe...thank you Ayase-san. I'm actually really happy that you said that, more than you'd ever know. I know that I haven't spoken with Kirino over the years, but now that I can, I feel it's my duty to protect her and make her happy. You know, like a good aniki should. That's why I'm always putting myself on the line for her. That's why I'm willing to embarrass myself in public and let other people think I'm a sexual molester. But in the end, Kirino never fully appreciates what I do for her. But you know what? When I decided that I'd always protect her, I told myself that I'd never need anything in return. I don't need a thank you, or a present, or a hug from Kirino. As long as she's safe and happy, that's enough for me."

Once I was done speaking, I realized that I was talking louder than I thought. I was kind of embarrassed because I just vented my innermost thoughts to Ayase, who was pretty unrelated to all of this stuff.

I apologized. "Uhh, sorry haha...I kinda went on a rant there."

She said, "Oh no! Don't be sorry, it must be hard for onii-san to constantly watch over Kirino. But you know, it's not like all your efforts go to waste. Whenever I'm with Kirino, she speaks a lot about you, so much that it seems like she's bragging about her cool bigger brother. At first she says she hates you, but then she can't stop talking about all the things you've done for her, it's really funny sometimes. Makes me a little jealous of her..."

That last sentence perked my interest. "Hmm? Jealous of what?"

"Well...sometimes I wish I could have a kind onii-san like Kirino...someone who will always watch over me and protect me."

"Well if we got married, then I could always watch over-"

I felt her kick me underneath the sheets. Dammit, why did I have to say that! Everything was going so well, but I always ruin it by talking about marriage, I'm a freaking idiot!

She yelled, "Onii-san! What did I say about teasing me like that!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me Ayase-sama!"

"Hmph! And after all that talk about proving to me that you're not a liar, looks like you never change onii-san."

"No! I'll prove that I'm not a liar, you still haven't told me what I have to do! Please tell me, so I can show you that I'm the most honest person around!"

"Then for starters, stop teasing me like that! It's bad for my heart!"

"Got it! Stop teasing you like that!"

"And...and stop sexually harassing me! And stop liking your own sister!"

"I never sexually harassed you or liked my own sister, but got it!"

"And...oh I don't know yet! I need more time to think about it!"

She rolled over in the bed to face away from me. She sounded pretty angry, but I thought she was being really cute. She was motionless for a little, but then she stretched her arm over to my desk for some reason. I looked over her and saw that she had picked up my phone and was now looking at my texts. Unfortunately, the first text that opened was the one that I was looking at before, the one that Ayase had sent to me after she and Kirino made up.

The whole situation had gotten pretty awkward.

I quickly thought of possible things to say to eliminate the awkwardness, but she beat me to the punch.

She said, "But maybe not all the lies you've said were bad."

That confused me. "Umm...what do you mean by that?"

"Remember that time in the park when Kirino and I were fighting over how she was an otaku?"

"Yeah I do. What about it?"

"When you told me you were in love with your sister, that you were the one collecting hentai magazines, I couldn't believe it. But I was so angry at that point that I was willing to accept anything as an excuse."

"Hah...I see."

"But after that incident, I had the feeling that all of that was just a lie so Kirino and I could make up. And as time passed, I realized that Kirino was the real otaku, and you were kinda just dragged into all of this."

I didn't know what to say. She knew the truth the entire time, and here I thought that she actually believed me that time in the park. She continued speaking,

"So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I misunderstood you and caused you a lot of stress."

"..."

"...onii-san? Did you hear me?"

"...Yeah, yeah I did. Ayase-san, this is a beautiful night."

"You sound like an old grandpa."

"Heh, I do. But I really am happy. Today I found out that there's someone that really appreciates what I do for my sister. Plus I got to clear up this misunderstanding between you and me. I don't know about you, but I'm really glad that these things happened."

"Well with all the hard work you do for Kirino, even if you say you don't want anything in return, it's good to have someone you can talk to about it. I can be that person for you."

"Thank you Ayase-san. It feels like we've become really good friends, despite the fact that you handcuffed me a couple hours before."

"Don't get me wrong onii-san! Just because the misunderstanding between us is cleared up doesn't mean that everything's okay! I still think that deep down, you're really a perverted otaku."

"Oh come on, we were having such a nice mood! Why'd you have to ruin it like that?"

"It can't be helped, I can't let a perverted and lying hentai get too comfortable with me until I know he's not a liar."

So that's what it was, I thought she was still really angry at me but I guess that's not the case. Anyway I took a quick look at the time and saw it was 3 AM; Ayase and I had been talking for about 2 hours which surprised me. Time flies.

I said, "Ayase-san, maybe it's time we go to sleep. I don't want to be dead next morning, plus I think we should wake up before Kirino does to...you know, avoid another terrible misunderstanding."

"Got it, I understand. Move over as far as you can onii-san, I don't want our bodies to be touching too much in the night."

"So cruel Ayase-san!"

But I complied and moved over as far as I could. As I closed my eyes and lost myself in the darkness, I realized how tired I was. I took in the welcome sleep: it was the best sleep I've had in ages.

I wish this night would never end...wishful thinking.


	3. Chapter 3

Proceeding to Chapter 3

* * *

I slowly arose from my slumber. My eyes opened gently, but I hesitated to move out of my sleeping position because I felt something clinging onto my shirt. I was in the same spot as I was last night, as far away from Ayase's side as possible. The same could not be said for her though; she had inched over to my side and was lightly clinging onto my shirt.

Keeping my body still, I turned my neck to see her. Ayase's soft breathing, her delicate closed eyes, her slightly ruffled hair, and the way she held my shirt...I would have hugged Ayase, but she'd probably wake up and kick me a few times. So I decided against it.

I gently tapped her. "Hey Ayase-san, wake up..."

She shifted slightly, but remained asleep. Maybe I shouldn't wake her up, maybe I should just savor this moment...

Just as I was about to lay in my bed again, I heard footsteps. They were light footsteps, so surely they could not belong to mom or dad. Which means...

My door swung open and I saw Kirino. She took a good look at the scene in front of her, and she did not react for the first 5 seconds. But as she slowly came to realize that the person next to me in my bed was Ayase, her eyes grew larger and larger; first her facial expression was that of shock and disbelief, then it quickly changed into one of uncontrollable, seething anger. She stuttered,

"You...y-you...y-y-you..."

"Listen, Kirino, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation to the current situation!"

"You...HOW DARE YOU!"

Ayase was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at me.

She groggily said, "Onii-shan? Wha'sh going on? Why do you look sho scared?"

She took a look behind her and saw Kirino standing there, fuming in fury. Ayase realized the the situation and was wide awake now. She said,

"Ki...Kirino...this isn't what it looks like it is..."

Kirino retorted, "OH YES IT IS! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AYASE!"

Kirino stomped over to my bed and yanked Ayase out from under the covers and yelled,

"HOW DARE YOU SNEAK AYASE OUT OF MY ROOM AND KEEP HER CAPTIVE IN YOUR BED! AS IF VIOLATING MY OTHER FRIENDS WASN'T ENOUGH, NOW YOU HAVE TO HARRASS AYASE! YOU FREAKING PERV! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

I thought of all the possible ways I could handle the scenario. I could tell Kirino the truth: Ayase snuck into my bed because you were playing your stupid eroge and we had the most amazing night EVER! Plus I discovered that you actually really like me as your older brother. HAH! HOW ABOUT THAT YOU BRATTY LITTLE GIRL!

Or, I could do what I do best, although I know Ayase will hate me for this...

I slowly and deliberately got out of my bed and walked over to Kirino. I said,

"Yeah, yeah that's right, I stole Ayase from your room last night while you were playing your eroge! She struggled and resisted, but I kept her stuck in my bed until she was too tired to even put up a fight! I slept right next to her body, and you know what? IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING! I..."

I just kept on rambling on and on and on about how amazing last night was, and the more I said, the angrier Kirino got. There finally came a point where I heard her jaw pop and she exploded,

"YOU FREAKING PERVERT!"

Kirino lifted her leg for a kick, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground with a horrible pain between my legs that permeated into my stomach. I felt the urge to throw up until Kirino said,

"Leave the house, and don't come back until evening. If I see you in this house before 8 at night, I will castrate you in your sleep. Now come on Ayase, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Kirino dragged Ayase away. I was all alone on the floor. Once the pain went away, I got up, went downstairs and walked out the door. I wandered aimlessly around town. I had nowhere to go so I just kept walking and walking...

* * *

Suddenly I received a text message from...Ayase?

_Meet me by the park, onii-san._

Confused but also anxious, I texted back,

_Why? Whatsup?_

After awhile she said,

_I have work today and I need someone to escort me._

I said,

_Why me?_

She immediately texted,

_Just come, baka onii-san._

I complied, so I started walking to the park. It was a beautiful day: plenty of warm sunshine with a brisk breeze to cool the air. The lush and lively scent of summer enriched the atmosphere. It's been awhile since I've been able to enjoy such calming peace and quiet. I wish this moment would last forever.

Actually, no I don't. I want to meet with Ayase-tan!

I arrived at the park where I settled the conflict between Ayase and Kirino. Ayase wasn't here yet, so I lazily sat on one of the swings and waited. To be honest, I felt nervous for some reason.

Aww c'mon Kyousuke, pull yourself together man! You're just walking Ayase to her work, what can possibly happen?

Right at that moment, I saw Ayase arrive at the other end of the park. I quickly jumped off the swing and jogged to go meet her.

"Ayase-san! Over here!"

"Hello onii-san, that was quite a morning, wasn't it?"

"Haha that's true. It's a good thing I came up with an excuse that quickly."

"Mmhm, looks like this is the second time your lies have saved me..." she said quietly.

I quickly interjected, "W-well! Looks like it's time to head over to your modelling job right?"

Ayase seemed a bit surprised, "Oh, is that what I told you? Well don't worry about it, my modelling session was cancelled."

I was perplexed, "Really? Why?"

"Well because...because the weather report said it might rain today."

"No I don't think so, I just checked the weather 10 minutes ago and it said it's going to be sunny all day."

She retorted, "Well the weather website is wrong!"

"No I've used it all my life and that website is pretty accurate-"

"Oh onii-san! At any rate I'm free today, so bring me to town and bring me somewhere!"

"I don't know Ayase-san, maybe you should call the modelling agency-"

"Just come on onii-san!" she said as she yanked me by the arm. I gave up and let her lead the way. She seemed pretty angry because her nails were digging into my arm as she dragged me along.

I said, "Alright alright, I'll come with you Ayase-san, so will you please let go of me? Pretty please?"

She complied and loosened her grip on me. She gave me a furtive glance, then pouted as she turned away from me.

"Baka onii-san," she muttered.

...Was it something I said?

* * *

We went walking around town for awhile. We had no set destination, so it was pretty awkward just being with Ayase. Breaking the silence, I asked,

"Well Ayase-san? Where are we going?"

"The mall's really close by, how about we go there?"

"Sure, no problem."

After we walked a few blocks in plain silence, we arrived at the mall. I opened the door and felt the cool breeze of the AC, and welcomed it. Wondering where to go to next, I was about to ask Ayase, but she sped off in her own direction. Apparently she knew where she wanted to go already.

I chased after her and we arrived at a clothing store: a woman's clothing store. She walked right on inside. I was a bit hesitant, but I went in anyway. I had a female escort with me today, so I figured it was okay.

But man, Ayase sure is a high-class girl. These clothes were expensive! We were in a famous brand name store (I know because of Kirino, don't think I'm weird) and the clothes were of very high-quality. I feel bad for the sorry man that will have to be her future boyfriend, she's gonna empty his pockets out.

She was already looking through the clothes. She picked out some nice clothes, asked an employee where the changing rooms were, and looked at me.

"Onii-san, don't go anywhere okay?"

"Got it, I'll be right here."

She went into the changing room, and a few minutes later she came out in a very cute outfit. She looked at the mirror, gave herself a twirl, then asked me,

"How does it look, onii-san?"

I was at a loss for words! I had never been in this situation before, it's like a scene straight out of an eroge or something! Think Kyousuke, think on your feet!

"Umm, it looks really cute on you, Ayase-san...I think?"

"...that's it onii-san? Just cute?"

She said that with a hint of disappointment in her voice, so I just gave up and stayed silent. She looked a bit miffed, so she pouted and walked away for a little. She came back after a bit, but she had her back turned to me for some reason.

"Onii-san! Take a look now!"

"Umm, okay. Turn around."

She turned around. Her outfit was exactly the same as before. Same shoes, same skirt, same blouse, same necklace, but the only thing different now was...glasses? She had glasses on the outfit now for some reason. As she smirked at me, she asked,

"Now do I look _just_ cute onii-san? I heard you were a fan of glasses..."

I realized what she was doing. I blushed madly and started stuttering. Ayase started bursting out in laughter as I tried to get the words out of my mouth. I finally stuttered,

"Wh...who told you about that!"

"Kirino mentioned about your little obsession with glasses while she was venting to me one day."

"T-Take those off now!"

"Why onii-san? Don't you like them?"

"No! Well I do but...but that's not the point! Take them off immediately!"

She got a few more laughs in and complied. She took off the glasses and placed them back on the rack on the other side of the store. She also took her original clothes and changed back. She and I both knew that I did not have the money to buy her the clothes, which hurt me a lot. That was the truth, but not having enough money to support the girl next to you hurts a man's pride, you know?

I was about to say something about it, but decided against it. Ayase began to walk out, and I followed until she stopped. She was looking at a pair of earrings. They were tiny blue crosses, and she seemed to be really interested in them for some reason. I could hear her mutter,

"These would go really great with that outfit..."

I took a peek at the back of the tag to see the price...10,000 yen! 10,000 yen for two pieces of cheap plastic! What the hell is wrong with this store!

I wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but seeing Ayase ogle those earrings really bothered me. Just then a thought hit me: I don't have any of my own cash, but dad gave me a debit card to use in case of emergencies. He always told me that this card was meant for only when truly necessary, and that if I ever use it, he'll carefully take a look at the bills on that card and evaluate whether or not I used the card appropriately. If it was appropriate, then there is no problem. However, if it was not appropriately used...let's not talk about it.

I am weighing my options...

"Hey, Ayase-san, do you like those earrings?"

"I do, but they're a bit expensive so-"

I cut her off and took the earrings off the rack and brought it to the cashier. Ayase looked at me in bewilderment as I gave the cashier my card and signed the receipt (a.k.a. my death contract). The cashier wrapped the earrings in a neat little bag and then handed it to me. I walked over to Ayase and placed the earrings in her hands.

She was still perplexed, "O...onii-san, you didn't have to-"

"Yes, I did. How do you expect a guy to react when he says the girl he likes staring at something she wants so badly?"

Ayase blushed. She stared me straight in the eye, and unlike before, she didn't break it; she kept the eye contact going, which really surprised me. I had never looked into Ayase's eyes for so long, so I suddenly felt myself blushing and looked away. Once she seemed satisfied, she put the earrings on.

I expected her to react angrily (I did say that I liked her again, and she always gets mad at that), but surprisingly, she gently said,

"Geez onii-san...you're full of surprises today..."

I cheekily said, "That's not such a bad thing, is it?"

"No, no it's not."

Ayase began to walk, and as she passed me, she slid her fingers across the palm of my hand. Caught off-guard, I looked at Ayase strangely, but she didn't seem to mind it at all. She just turned around and said to me,

"Onii-san, time to go home, okay?"

"...yeah, let's go Ayase-san."

She continued to walk towards the exit, and I followed her.

Today was a good day. Today was definitely a good day.

...

She really did look great in those glasses...

* * *

A/N: So sorry for the delay! It's summer vacation but I'm still really busy as a highschool student, so sorry guys! I'm gonna try to bang out the next chapters over the weekend, so bear with me.

Thanks for reading the chapter, the next one will be up as soon as possible!

Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Proceeding to Chapter 4

* * *

After a nice and long walk, Ayase and I had finally reached the park where we first met. Time sure flies; we had spent a total of six hours together since noon. I was a little scared at first of how to spend the time, but everything turned out pretty naturally.

We walked over to the swings, but before sitting down she said to me,

"I have to use the restroom Onii-san. Please hold onto my bag for me."

"Got it, I'll wait right here."

As Ayase ran across the park to use the bathroom, I plopped right onto the swing and listed lazily back and forth. Today was a good day, the most fulfilling experience I've had in awhile. I spent some good personal time with Ayase and I'm sure her view of me has improved by now. She can be insane but she isn't unreasonable.

She was taking awhile so I started looking for things to do. I was feeling really bored and though I knew it was extremely inappropriate, I took a look into Ayase's bag. First I pulled out her perfume and took a whiff. A gentle, redolent fragrance radiated from the glass bottle, and I felt shivers run down my back as I took in the aroma. But then I realized I was doing something really weird, so I quickly returned the perfume and pretended that never happened.

Then I pulled out her handkerchief...nothing to do with this.

After that I delved further and found her phone. I wasn't really planning on looking through it, so I just clicked the side button to see what time it was. But instead of the time, the alert for missed calls popped up on the screen.

She had...23 missed calls!

I opened her phone and looked through the calls. Four of them were from _Modelling Agency_, and the other nineteen were from..._Kirino_?

Confounded by these revelations, I began to think of what might possibly explain these missed calls. Suddenly, it hit me-

"Onii-san."

My heart skipped up a beat, I was caught red-handed. I slowly looked...

"A...Ayase-san, you-"

She walked up to me and snatched her phone away from my hands. Her deep, opal eyes were melancholy with a dull sadness. She was not angry, but I could tell that I had offended her.

She asked, "What were you looking at, Onii-san?"

"Well...you have missed calls."

"And?"

"They're from your modelling agency, and Kirino."

"So what's your point onii-san?"

"My point is that you skipped out on modelling today for me, didn't you? You wanted to make up for what happened this morning so you-"

"Onii-san, I-"

"-no Ayase-san. You didn't need to do this, I lied to protect you because I wanted to, you don't have to-"

"_**Onii-san!**_ Listen to me!"

I was struck frozen. Whenever Ayase makes that angry yell, I stop dead in my tracks because I know something bad is about to happen, something really bad. She was breathing heavily, and I was expecting a roundhouse kick to the face. Instead, she gently said,

"Onii-san, you think that I hung out with you today to make up for this morning's disaster, don't you?"

"Well, yeah I do."

"Well then you are wrong."

I was dumbfounded. The words I heard right now were definitely good words, but they didn't match the situation. I asked,

"If you didn't do this today to make up for what happened, then why did you come to town with me?"

She took a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. She confidently said,

"Because Onii-san, I _wanted_ to. Everything I did today was of my own accord. I didn't spend the day with you because I felt bad for what Kirino did to you, but because I _wanted_ to be here. So don't think that I'm here out of pity for you - I'm here because I _want_ to be here, and that's that."

My heart warmed up to those words. For Ayase to actually want to hang out with me, I never would have even conceived of this miraculous event. But still, there was one more thing bugging my mind,

"I...I see. Then Ayase-san, why did you want to hang out today?"

Suddenly she stared me dead in the eye. Her eyes grew wider and her stance grew stiff. With a strange facial expression, she said to me,

"Because onii-san, I like you."

"Ex...Excuse me!?"

"I like you onii-san, that's why I came today."

Suddenly she began to walk towards me at a slow, deadly, and deliberate pace. My heart pounded with every step she took, and as she got too close for comfort, I started backing up. I backed up further and further until I reached the end of my park. With my back to the fence and nowhere to run, I said,

"Uh Ayase-san, can you back up just a little?"

"Why onii-san? What's wrong? Don't you like me back?"

"I do...I mean I don't...well I do but you'll get angry so...I mean, are you alright Ayase-san?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine. You should be more worried about yourself than me."

She brought both hands to my cheeks. Her hands felt icy, I knew something bad was going to happen! I closed my eyes, scared of whatever was to come. I braced myself...

Until I heard a burst of laughter.

She let go of my face, but she was still laughing. She was laughing so hard that she had to bend over because her stomach hurt so much. Bewildered (and maybe a little disappointed), I just stood there motionless. I was unsure of how the situation had just turned out. Did I pass out? Did I miss something?

Once Ayase wiped the tears off her cheeks and stood up, she said to me,

"You should've seen the look on your face onii-san! I've never ever seen you blush such a deep shade of red!"

I blushed. Again.

She kept on ranting, "Well how does it feel onii-san? Having your heart teased, it's not a very good feeling is it?"

Ooh, so that's what this is about.

She continued, "It's about time you got a taste of your own medicine. I should do this more often, maybe I'll bring a camera next time and show it to Kirino sometime."

I immediately responded, "Please don't do that. Kirino will kill me. Literally."

"Okay okay, I won't tell Kirino. But seriously onii-san, I did not come with you today because I felt bad for you or anything. I'm here because I want to be here, do you understand?"

"I understand Ayase-san."

"Good, and for future's reference, please know this: whenever I do something good for you onii-san, don't question why I'm doing it. Just accept it and be happy, okay?"

"Umm, got it, I will never question you."

"Perfect! I'm glad we straightened that out! Well then, it's about time we got home right?"

Ayase turned around and headed for the exit. She gave me one last wave and yelled,

"See you later onii-san!"

I waved back. That Ayase-tan, she's so cute...

* * *

I returned home. Mother opened the door and welcomed me in. I walked up to the stairs to get to my room, but Kirino suddenly appeared in front of me. She confronted me and declared,

"You're early."

"Come on Kirino, I've been out for hours now, I've learned my lesson."

She sighed, "Whatever, just get out of my sight"

I quietly complied. I turned around to open the door, but Kirino stopped me and asked.

"By the way, Ayase wasn't at modelling today...do you have anything to do with that?"

I was caught off-guard. "What! No, of course not! Why would you ever think that?"

She stared at me like she suspected the truth. "Okay, just making sure.

Relieved that Kirino let me go, I was finally going to go to sleep in my room, but then I heard my father thunder up the stairs. His massive figure was more foreboding than ever, and he had an angry aura about him. He sternly stated to me,

"Kyousuke, get down here. We have to talk."

Oh yeah, the earrings I got for Ayase. Oh boy.

I followed my father downstairs, and on the living room table was his credit card statement. He beckoned for me to sit down, so I took a seat on the couch. He pointed at the statement and said,

"Kyousuke, I noticed that you used my emergency credit card."

"Yes dad, I did."

"Furthermore, the statement says that you used the card for _earrings_...how is that in any manner appropriate for an emergency?"

"Well you see dad, I uhh...err..."

"Because quite frankly, I do not see how earrings are necessary for any kind of emergency situation."

"Dad, if I could just explain-"

"I want you to go out tomorrow and return those earrings, this credit card was not meant for-"

Something in me just snapped at that point,

"DAD! You shut your mouth and listen to me!"

Dad was shocked. I kept yelling,

"No! I will not go return the earrings! I've waited patiently to explain, but you keep cutting me off every time I tried to explain! Yeah it wasn't an emergency of life and death; actually, I probably would have been just fine if I hadn't gotten those earrings! But nevertheless, I needed those earrings for a dear friend of mine and at that time it was definitely an emergency to me! So dad, punch me or kick me or ground me all you like, BUT I WILL NEVER REGRET GETTING THOSE EARRINGS! JUST TRY AND MAKE ME RETURN THEM!"

I finished my rant, panting and sweating profusely. My father was shocked by my explosion of anger. He simply looked me deeply in the eye and said nothing. After awhile he asked,

"You said those earrings were for a dear friend of yours?"

"Yes dad, a very dear friend of mine."

Dad let out an exasperated sigh and finally conceded, "Okay, I get it. Friends are important, and if the situation with that person called for an emergency, then I understand your use of the card."

I let out a breath of relief, but then father kept speaking,

"However! This is not to say that I approve of your use of the card. I will overlook this purchase, but this shall not happen again. If you want to get your friends gifts, then you must buy the gift with your own money - only then will the gift be genuine and meaningful. Do you understand Kyousuke?"

"Yes dad, I understand."

"Good. Now return to your room and go to sleep, it's late. Good night."

I walked out of the living room and trudged upstairs to my bed. I lifted the covers and tucked myself in, ready for a good night's sleep. But as I waited for sleep to come in the darkness, I realized something.

This was the second time I ever stood up to my father like that and won - the first time was when I defended Kirino and her obsession for manga. It was so strange that I would do this for anyone besides Kirino, let alone _Ayase_ of all people. Confusing questions ran through my head: who is Ayase to me? Why would I stand up for her like that? Why does she mean so much to me right now? Because up until today, I thought the only person who could make me feel this strongly about anything was Kirino, but Ayase proved that wrong and now I'm confused.

* * *

A/N: sorry for the late update everyone, I'll try to get on the next chapter right away! Thank you for reading the chapter and please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yeah there's not much I can say that can excuse this huge time gap. I've been busy with school and stuff, and I apologize for neglecting my story. But let me just say that I am not dead and neither is this story. I am determined to get this story done, no matter how long it takes.

Onto the chapter, enjoy!

* * *

It's been 2 weeks since I last saw Ayase.

Since that time my confusion about her has leveled off somewhat. I still don't really know what she is to me, but after not seeing her for awhile, I'm not thinking so much anymore. That's good…I guess.

It was still morning, so I groggily stumbled down the stairs to grab some breakfast. When I laid my hand on the doorknob, I heard Kirino's voice through the door,

"Can I please skip today's track meet? Just this one time?"

"No Kirino, you absolutely cannot. You know how strict the coach is about attendance policy. And what's with you all of a sudden, you never skip a meet!"

"I know but, I kinda arranged a meeting with some friends today…"

"Well the meet ends at night around 6, you can meet up then right?"

"No, I can't! My friend's house is too far away!"

"I'm sorry Kirino, but a must is a must. You'll have to meet your friends on another day."

I walked in once the conversation ended. Mother greeted me as usual. Kirino, however, was staring at me for some reason. I made eye contact with her, and it looked like she was about to ask me something. I guess she decided against it last second because she just kept eating her breakfast in silence.

She finished quickly, then headed off for meet. I finished a few minutes behind her and then went upstairs to continue my sleep.

Right as I fell asleep though, my phone rang. It was from…Kuroneko?

I flipped my phone open and her voice came through, "Come to Akiba in an hour."

"What? Why do I have to go?"

"Because you just do, fool. Be there. Saori and I will be at the usual place."

And then she hung up. Dammit, I hate it when they take me for granted! What if I have other plans? Then what would they do?

…but I don't have other plans, so I guess I'll just go.

I took a shower and prepped up to head out. I told my mom I'd be back by supper as I walked out of the house. The air still had the charm of summer: a blazing sun, moist air, and the ring of cicadas filled my senses. Summer vacation was still alive, although there was only a few days left in it. The thought of school loomed over my head. It'd be the same old routine with the same old people, depressing….

Arriving at the station, I entered and neared the departures board to look for Akihabara. As I perused over the departure times, someone bumped into me.

"Oh, excuse me!" an unknown, heavenly voice said.

"No no, it's my fault," I politely replied.

I was extremely surprised to behold Ayase next to me. I immediately recovered though and greeted her.

"Well if it isn't Ayase-san! How've you been?"

"I've been well onii-san, and you?"

"Same here haha, summer vacation is treating me well."

Suddenly it struck me: why is Ayase looking at the departures board for Akihabara? What could possibly bring her to the center of otaku life?

I cautiously asked, "Umm, Ayase-san? Why are you looking at the departure times for Akihabara?"

"Because I'm going to Akihabara."

I facepalmed, "Well, I know that but…why are you going to Akihabara?"

She reacted by reaching into her handbag. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, and on it was a picture of a box set of DVDs of…Meruru? I read its title, "The all-new limited edition of Meruru, with 5 new OVAs never before seen!"

Completely confused, I asked, "Umm…why are you showing a picture of Meruru?"

"Well, a few days ago I looked at Kirino's amazon wishlist, and I saw that one of her top choices was this DVD set. But I also know that Kirino has a track meet today, so I was planning on getting it for her as a surprise. I haven't paid Kirino back for the sleepover, after all."

"Wow, you really know Kirino like the back of your hand, don't you? I mean I'm her brother and I didn't even know all this."

She plainly replied, "Of course, I'm her best friend! And don't compare to me you just because you're a siscon, it's creepy."

"...I get the feeling that you just said something really mean, but I won't think about it too much. So have you found which train to take?"

"Well, I know I said I was going to buy the DVD set but..."

"But?"

"I'd have to go to Akihabara today because the item just came out. If I don't get it today then Kirino will get it herself, and I don't really know if I'm…willing to go, it seems very scary. I've been here in this station for an hour, trying to decide on whether or not to make the trip."

Realizing the situation, I did the obvious thing. "Well, I'm headed there too, would you like me to accompany you?"

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I gladly accept your offer. Thank you very much."

"No need to thank me, because I like y—" I stopped mid-sentence, aware of the mistake I was about to make.

She gave me a suggestive glance. "Because you like…?"

I cautiously replied, "Because I like…umm…riding trains…with you."

She laughed at my idiotic reply.

I like it when Ayase laughs, it means she's not angry.

* * *

After a fairly long train ride, we arrived in Akiba.

I could tell Ayase was a bit nervous, since she kept very close to me. Her prejudice against otakus is overwhelming, although it was nice that she was trying so hard to overcome this phobia of hers.

At this rate, there will be a day when she won't need me to understand Kirino's hobby…

"Oh my gosh onii-san, are you okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, just let me get up…"

The moment that thought welled up in my head, I stumbled on my own feet. The simple idea of Ayase not needing me anymore…was so disturbing that I lost my footing?

I shook the haunting thought out of my head and got up. Ayase whacked the dust off my shirt and asked,

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine, the heat just got to me for a second haha, it's nothing."

"If you say so onii-san…"

I felt flustered in front of Ayase for some reason, even though I had never felt flustered by her before. It's strange, to say the least.

Suddenly I remembered my original reason for coming here (to meet with Kuroneko and Saori). I was about to split ways with Ayase to meet with Kuroneko and Saori, but when I saw Ayase cluelessly looking at the map she got from the station, I knew that leaving her alone in Akiba would be dangerous.

After weighing my options, I said,

"Ayase, I think I'll stay with you until you get the DVD."

Startled, she looked away from her map and said, "Oh! Are you sure? Didn't you have some business here?"

"Well I sort of did but…you might get lost in this big city."

She pouted. "Hey! I am perfectly capable of navigating myself!"

"I'm only concerned for your safety."

She faltered. "Oh…well in that case, I'm in your debt once again. I'm sorry for imposing so much on you."

"It's nothing; besides, buying this thing won't take long I'm sure."

Ayase agreed, and showed me the address of the shop. It was familiar; the same place I went to buy that game Kirino wanted the night before she left for America. But before we left, I told Ayase I had to use the bathroom. When I was out of sight, I called Kuroneko.

After a few rings, her voice echoed through the headpiece. "Hello?"

"Hey Kuroneko. Umm, look, something important came up so I think I might be a little late. You and Saori go on without me, I'll call you later."

"Hey wait! You can't just do that!"

"What? We're just hanging out right? It can hold off for a little."

"We're not just hanging out, we're going to—"

I heard Ayase nearing the bathroom door, so I had to hang up right then. I felt bad for leaving Kuroneko and Saori hanging for a little, but helping Ayase overrules just hanging out. I'll get to them after I help her.

It was a long walk, but we finally arrived to the store mentioned earlier. We walked in and asked one of the helpers for the Meruru DVDs, and he pointed us to the store clerk. It was behind the counter, so we got in line and waited.

A few minutes later, Kuroneko and Saori entered the store. Shocked at this turn of events, I tried to think of a way to escape, but Saori and I had already made eye contact. She yelled,

"Kyousuke-shi! What a fortunate turn of events!"

I nervously replied, "Uhh, yeah! Haha, who would've thought we were going for the same place!"

I was about to greet Kuroneko, but I saw her staring daggers at Ayase. I attempted to cool the situation,

"Oh umm, guys! This is Ayase, Kirino's friend!"

Ayase followed, "N-Nice to meet you! I'm Aya—"

"I know who you are. I don't need your name." Kuroneko interrupted.

"Oh, I see…" Ayase said dejectedly.

Kuroneko faced me, "What is she doing here with you?"

Kuroneko's abruptness scared me. I said, "Well, Ayase wanted to buy a new Meruru DVD set for Kirino as thanks for something, and it's only available here."

"Okay, so are your ears clogged? Or perhaps that girl has blocked your ears with a spell? Allow me to repeat my question: what is she doing here with _you_?"

I was stunned by the venom she injected into that last word. I started perspiring at a loss for words, but then Ayase suddenly interjected,

"Onii-san is here to help me buy the DVD set, _that _is why he is here with _me_," she said in an emphatic tone.

As Ayase and Kuroneko stared each other down, I imagined electricity sparking between their eyes. I braced for an explosion, but fortunately Saori mediated the situation as she always does.

"Now now Kuroneko, there is no need for such questions. Let us be glad for Kyousuke and Miss Ayase's acquaintance!"

She turned to Ayase. "Good day, Miss Ayase, my name is Saori Bajeena. It is very nice to meet you."

Ayase was flustered by Saori's perfect manners (or by Saori's last name, hard to tell). She responded, "H-Hello Saori-san, the honor is all mine."

"Please feel free to address me as just Saori; all my friends do so."

"Very well, then in turn please call me just Ayase."

They got along very well, which didn't really surprise me seeing as how they are both well-mannered girls. Kuroneko, however, was still brooding in the corner.

I asked, "So Kuroneko, what are you and Saori doing here?"

"Same reason you are: to buy the DVD set for Kirino."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, she said she had a track meet so she asked us to go and get it."

So that's why Kirino was so bent on skipping practice today. She wanted to get the DVD set.

Kuroneko asked, "So what now? Do Saori and I buy the item? Or do you and that girl buy it?"

Ayase and Saori noticed that last comment. Ayase was about to say something, but Saori quickly said,

"Yes, we can't buy two of the same thing for Kiririn-shi, who should buy it?"

I said, "Well Ayase-san has a reason to buy it, so I think she should. Right Ayase-san?"

Ayase nodded in approval. The other two looked at each other. Kuroneko was about to say something, but Saori gave her a nudge, and so Kuroneko finally yielded.

They waited out of line while Ayase and I purchased the DVD set. As she took the DVD off the counter shelf, she seemed very happy. So all of this conflict didn't happen for nothing I guess.

Once we got the DVDs, we walked over to where Kuroneko and Saori were.

I told Ayase, "Alright, now that we got the DVDs, maybe it's time I split to join Kuroneko and—"

Kuroneko quickly interrupted, "Oh no, we're quite alright. We wouldn't want to interrupt your little date, after all."

I heard a vein pop in Ayase's forehead. I stammered,

"C-Come on Kuroneko! Don't misunderstand the situation!"

Saori said, "That was a little harsh Kuroneko, although you do have a point. You two should go on home if you don't want Kiririn-shi to call us and ask us about the DVDs."

"Oh, I see. Well then we'll take the advice. See you guys later!"

Ayase and I rushed out as Saori waved at us; Kuroneko just stared as we left.

I could tell Ayase was a little moody after that confrontation with the two. I decided to stay silent, since I didn't want to make her angry. After a few minutes of walking, she broke the silence,

"Onii-san, those people were Kirino's...otaku friends, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, it's just that…usually when I think of otakus, I imagine most of them as being male, but…that girl Saori was surprisingly pretty and well-mannered."

"Yeah that surprised me too. She's as otaku as you can get, but she is really polite and kind."

"And that girl Kuroneko, she's quite cute, but she has a rotten personality!"

I laughed at that one. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Ayase met Saori and Kuroneko.

We walked along at a nice pace in the direction of the train station. Recently I've grown closer to Ayase, and I am really glad for that. But something in the back of my mind was bothering me, the same thing that bothered me earlier today. I'm glad for this new comfort around her, but the more comfortable we get, the more comfortable Ayase becomes with otaku culture, and at that point...we'll really have no relation or reason to really meet each other. It's all just hypothetical guessing, but I couldn't help but feel that at this rate, a bad ending is only inevitable.

"...hey! Onii-san!"

Ayase took me out of my reverie. I said, "Oh, yeah! Whats up?"

"I just wanted to thank you for coming with me. I could not have done this without you."

"Heh, thanks Ayase-san. It's nothing, really."

"Geez, you always say that about everything you do. You should really give yourself some credit sometimes, you know?"

"Sorry, but my self-esteem is already destroyed thanks to Kirino. That's what happens when you live under the same roof as her."

She responded, "Hey! Kirino is a good person, you just don't appreciate her enough!"

"Okay okay! I'm sorry for saying that!" Man, this girl is so protective of Kirino!

"Hmph, as long as you understand! But onii-san, maybe you shouldn't so kind to everyone. You're bound to be exploited for that excessive kindness!"

"Well...it's too late for that haha."

Ayase misunderstood, "Oh! I'm so sorry! Had I known that you thought it was a burden, I wouldn't have-"

I stopped her, "No no, I wasn't implying that you were exploiting me. I'm just saying I'm used to helping people, that's all."

Ayase breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness...I thought you were mad at me."

"Nah, I can never be mad at you, Ayase-san."

Ayase was startled by what I just said and turned her face a bit to hide her blush (which I thought was extremely cute).

I continued to speak, "It's the opposite actually; I'm always worried that you're mad at me."

She instantly pouted and said, "Well! It's only natural with all your persistent sexual harassment and lies!"

"That reminds me: you still haven't told me how to prove myself an honest person."

She was caught off-guard. She stuttered, "W-well, I've been thinking about it, but I still haven't thought of a final answer! But you better not forget the promise!"

"Haha, don't worry, I won't forget."

By this time we had reached the train station. We purchased the tickets and walked down to the train stops. I found empty seats for us to sit in, so I beckoned Ayase over and she took a seat. I took the seat next to her and relaxed my legs. It was just past 1, plenty of time left in the day.

Now it's time to just sit back and wait for the train to take us home...

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for neglecting this story for so long. By the way, depending on how up to date you are with the novels, you'll know that Ayase, Saori, and Kuroneko have already somewhat met (the anime hasn't covered this much). For the sake of this story, just assume they haven't met until now because it's not that much of a big deal anyhow in terms of plot.

And yeah, Ayase going to Akiba is a pretty big jump. But like I said before, just accept it because it'll really help out the story.

Thanks for the reading the chapter, I'll work on the next chapter as quickly as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone, Epik121 here. Writing the last chapter got my hyped up to write the next one as quickly as possible. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

* * *

**Ayase POV**

Onii-san beckoned me over to an empty seat. I complied and set myself down on the subway bench. Once I was settled, he quickly followed suit and took the one right next to me. Fifteen minutes before our train, there was plenty of time before our ride.

I was feeling a bit thirsty after all that walking. I turned to onii-san,

"I'm going to the water fountain. I'll be right back, okay?"

He nonchalantly replied, "Yep, got it."

I lifted myself from the seat and made my way to the nearest fountain. I leaned my weight into the metal bar and sipped the gush of cold water. My throat was feeling parched from walking in the summer heat, so I took my time. Once I finished, I turned around and headed back.

But suddenly, some random business man in a suit came rushing around the corner and sprinted towards me. He noticed me last second and tried to dodge me, although he still crashed into my shoulder and made me fall to the ground. I hit the floor, and the impact made me lose my grip on my bag. The rude businessman stopped for a second to yell a cursory, "I'm very sorry!" as he continued to sprint up to the train station. I was still a little miffed at him, but I was just glad that he was gone.

Onii-san came running over to me. He said,

"That rude bastard! Doesn't he know that he just knocked an angel down!?"

Ugh. That's Onii-san for you. "Please don't say such strange things Onii-san. It's creepy."

"Well at any rate, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I just let go of my bag, that's all."

I took his hand and lifted myself up. I walked over to where my bag had fallen only to see that a few inches more and it would have fallen down into the train tracks, what luck! I picked the bag up...only to realize that it was much lighter than it previously was.

I looked into the bag to make sure all my belongings were intact. My phone was there, my makeup was there...but Kirino's present wasn't in there! I looked down into the train tracks and there I saw it: the box had fallen into a crevice between the tracks. On a radical impulse, I hopped down despite the danger. If it's a present for Kirino, I can't just let it lay there! I have to get it!

I walked over the tracks until I was right above the DVD box. I reached in between the tracks as deeply as I could, but my hand couldn't reach it! I extended my fingertips as much as possible, but I could only scrape the plastic covering with my nails. I quickly yelled out for help,

"Onii-san! Please come help me!"

He immediately hopped down onto the tracks without a second thought. As he approached me, I pointed to where the box was. Once he was close enough, he bent down and...lifted me up by the waist?

He lifted me up and laid me across his shoulder. He then started heading back toward the platform, away from the box. Perplexed as to what he was doing, I struggled to free myself from his iron grip, but to no avail. I then started banging on his head yelling,

"Hey Onii-san! What do you think you're doing!? The present's over there, we have to get it! Let me down right now!"

He completely ignored me as he placed me on top of the platform, away from the tracks. He then followed suit and pushed himself up. I tried to jump back into the train tracks to get the box, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back to where we had been sitting. I tried to break away, but no matter how much I twisted or turned, Onii-san's hold on me was unflinching. He pulled me towards the seat, held me by the shoulders, and firmly pushed me down into my seat. I yelled,

"Onii-san, now is not the time for this! We have to get the-"

"**No, we don't!****"**

I was stunned. I've never heard him raise his voice like that.

He looked me dead in the eye and kept shouting, "What were you thinking, jumping into the train tracks like that!? Do you know how dangerous that is!? What if you had gotten stuck in there, or if the train made an early departure!?"

I retorted, "Well what else am I suppose to do!? Isn't your sister's present dear to you!?"

"That stupid thing is **nothing** compared to you!"

I was taken aback by his intensity.

He then said, "Ayase, I couldn't care less that that's a present for Kirino. You could toss Kirino's entire anime collection down there and I would _still_ drag you away! How can I compare the life of a precious friend to some...stupid anime DVDs! You're a thousand times - no, an infinite times more valuable than anything! Do you understand me!?"

I was speechless. All I could do was nod to show that I understood.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm glad we settled that."

He took the seat next to me. Once he was settled, he grabbed my wrist. I automatically let out a "Kya!" and looked at him to see what he was doing.

He grunted, "I'm holding onto you until our train comes so you don't do anything stupid."

I was about to object, but from the look of his eyes, he wasn't going to let go no matter what I said. As uncomfortable as I was, I tried to get used to it, but for some reason the feel of his hand just made me...nervous. After a few more seconds of sitting, I managed to regain my composure.

But once I calmed down, I noticed how flushed my face was and how hot my cheeks were. I could feel the blush in my face as heat pulsated from the back of my neck.

Onii-san called me precious, that I was more valuable than Kirino's present...

Even though we had basically just fought, I had this warm feeling in my chest. I couldn't describe why exactly, but my heart beat faster and my hands felt tingly. I felt...bubbly, secure, and anxious all at once. Yes, as long as his hand was on me, no harm would come my way, that's how I felt. One side of me felt uneasy and nervous, yet the other half was strangely happy and giddy.

So this must be the feeling that Kirino has whenever she's with Onii-san. This must be why she always gets flustered whenever Onii-san is mentioned. This warmth and security that she feels everyday with him...

Kirino is so lucky. I'm so jealous of her.

Wait...what am I saying!?

Suddenly I realized how wrong these feelings were. Kirino is my best friend, yet I'm being jealous of her! These covetous and envious feelings are so wrong of me! Onii-san is Kirino's onii-san, how can I think of keeping him to myself!? I tried to erase these traitorous thoughts from my head, but no matter what my brain said, my heart still ached.

This is definitely Onii-san's fault, it must be! He is always flattering me with unwarranted kindness, always giving me random compliments! Yes, it's his fault for making me feel this way, surely!

...no, I can't blame him. That unconditional kindness is just in his nature, and I can't accuse him for being who he is. To blame him is to lie to myself, just like how I lied to myself that Onii-san was actually into incest. It's not like he's giving me special treatment or anything, I'm sure he treats all his friends like this...which is what bothered me the most for some reason. It's my fault, it's completely my fault for feeling like this.

I felt the wind blow past us as our train sped into the station. The wheels screeched as the endless row of train cars slowed to a halt and the doors slid open for us. Onii-san gently lifted my wrist to beckon me up, and he escorted me into the train. As I walked up, these haunting thoughts would not cease:

_Kirino is keeping him to herself, it's just not fair..._

_No, it is completely fair! He is her only sibling, of course they should be reserved to each other!  
_

_It doesn't matter, I want to take Kirino's place...  
_

_I can't do that, especially when I know how much he means to her!  
_

_Who cares, Kirino is my best friend, and she said she's going to stay my best friend no matter what, right?  
_

We both stepped onto the train and found spots to sit in. However, the longer I sat next to him, the hotter and worse I began to feel. These covetous and treacherous feelings, I can't put up with them!

I...I...I just can't!

* * *

**Kyousuke POV**

"What the!? Ayase!"

Just as the train announced that the doors would close, Ayase broke my grip and ran out of the train! I tried to catch her, but the doors closed the moment I tried to reach for her. I banged on the door yelling,

"Ayase! Ayase! What are you doing!?"

Suddenly the train lurched, and I stumbled into a crowd of some random people. I realized how much of a scene I was making, so I decided to just sit down and analyze the situation. I immediately decided to take out my phone and call her.

...No answer.

I kept on calling back and back, until I called her at least ten times. At this point I realized calling her would be pointless; I'd have to just wait for her to reply. Dammit, this is more frustrating than waiting for a random flag to show up in a game! I just pray that she isn't trying to get those DVDs back from the tracks.

After twenty minutes of riding the train, I suddenly got a text message from Ayase. I hastily opened it and read,

_"Onii-san, I've boarded the next train home. Wait for me at the usual park."_

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I laid back in my chair once I was reassured that she was safe. I realized that I needed to transfer trains on this stop, so I left and quickly checked the departures table while I was on my way to the next terminal. The following train from Akiba was only thirty minutes later: not so bad, I can deal with that. Ayase will keep her word, all I have to do now is focus on getting to that park.

* * *

After a few more train rides, I finally made my way to the park. I've been waiting here for about thirty minutes by now and I've received no word from her yet. She won't go back on her word, definitely. She's a smart girl, she won't get lost.

In the distance, at the other end of the park, I noticed movement. As she moved closer, I realized it was Ayase, so I quickly threw myself off the swing and ran towards her.

"Ayase-san! Over here!"

I sprinted over to her, but she made no change in her pace. Once I reached her I took a second to catch my breath, and when I looked up at her, she avoided my gaze. It had me worried so I asked,

"Ayase-san, are you alright?"

With uneasiness in her voice, she replied, "Y...Yes, I'm fine."

"Don't tell me, you tried to get the DVDs again?"

"No, I adhered to your words. I didn't try to get Kirino's present."

"I see, that's good."

Then I asked the question that'd been bothering me.

"So Ayase-san, why did you run out?"

Suddenly I saw her grip her bag tightly. Then she started trembling a little. The trembling wouldn't stop so I figured that I had asked this question at the wrong time. I was about to tell her that she didn't have to give me an answer, until she said,

"Onii-san, why are you so kind to me?"

I automatically thought of the response, "Because I like you." However, that would've been my response a few weeks ago; after making that promise of honesty with her, I was not about to make that mistake. So why am I so kind to her? To be honest, "Because I like you," is the only reason I can think of.

She said, "Is it because I'm Kirino's best friend? Is that the only reason?"

As much as I hate to say it, that does sound reasonable. But that wasn't enough, that reason is far too shallow to explain all of it. So I said,

"Well, you could say that was the reason at first, but I think I can say that we're friends now, right Ayase-san?"

"So you help me because I'm just your friend? You help all your friends this much?"

I was being cornered further and further, I started losing my grip on the situation. From the way she asked her question, it sounds like she doesn't want me to group her as 'just' a friend. I thought carefully, and suddenly I thought of a great argument.

I confidently said, "Well, it's true that I help all of my friends. But I've never done anything like going as far as Akiba for anyone. Except for Kirino, that is."

I thought that was a pretty good answer, but Ayase suddenly dug her nails harder into her bag. Was that a bad answer? I pretty much said that I've done more for her than I would for 'just' a friend.

She suddenly lifted her face and stared me in the eye. She yelled,

"Onii-san, how much do you like Kirino!? Answer me honestly, are you really in love with her!?"

This question I answered easily.

"Love? I said so before, didn't I? I'm definitely not into incest. But yeah, I guess I love her as my little sister, that's not a problem right?"

I answered as honestly as I could, yet Ayase didn't seem completely satisfied. She opened her mouth to say something, but something was holding her back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as if she was prepping herself for something.

Then she opened her eyes and looked at me resolutely. She said,

"Onii-san, do you remember our promise from a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, to prove my honesty."

"Well I have my answer! If you want to prove to me that you're an honest person, then all those lies you've said about liking me...make them the truth!"

"Wh...What?"

"Onii-san, you're a pervert, sexual harasser, otaku, and a terrible siscon. You don't give a second thought to helping your friends and always butt into other people's business. One moment I want to kill you, and the next moment I want to be right next to you. You make me mad because you're too nice! These mixed feelings are bad for my heart Onii-san...that's why...these feelings, I want to resolve them once and for all."

"Ayase-san..."

"And I know what has to be done. Will you please be my boyfriend?"

"..."

"...Onii-san?"

How do I respond to this kind of situation? Simple, just do what I do best: tell her my honest answer.

"Ayase...

"Yes?"

"Let's get married."

"...No."

"What!? But you just said all those things about liking me and wanting to resolve it once and for all, we may as well get married!"

"Absolutely not! I'm just asking you out, why do you bring up marriage!? This is this and that is that! Geez Onii-san, the nerve you have; even when I'm asking you to prove yourself an honest person, you still go on and tease me!"

"But you said to make everything I said about liking you the truth! That includes the times I asked you to marry me before!"

Ayase's face exploded in a shade of crimson. "W-w-well I'll make an exception for that one!"

"Aww come on, you can't be picky with this kind of thing!"

"Yes I can! Right now I'm asking if you will be my boyfriend; is your answer yes or no?"

"Yes, yes I will be your boyfriend! Or rather, please let me be your boyfriend!"

"Good! Ugh...my first confession, ruined because of you and your incessant teasing!"

"With me, one confession is all you'll need!"

I thought Ayase's face before was really red, but now she's really reached a new shade of red never before seen.

She pouted, "We're starting this confession over!"

"What?"

"I said we're starting over, hmph!"

"Um...okay."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Al...Alright...umm...Onii-san I...I really like you. You never fail to be there when I need you, and I know you'll come to me if I call for you. You always make me feel at a loss of what to do, and now that I've finally figured out my feelings, I know what I want. Onii-san, will you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes Ayase. If you're alright with me, I would be honored to be your boyfriend."

I saw her stressed face change to one of ineffable relief and gratitude. She loosened her grip on her bag, and began to giggle effervescently as she could not contain her happiness. Seeing Ayase this happy, and knowing that I was the source of that happiness, made my heart melt; this day is almost too good to be true.

She said, "Thank you Onii-san. You have no idea...of how happy I am. I'm so happy, unbelievably happy that you think of me like that. My legs feel weak from all this excitement haha..."

"Me too. To think that I'm your boyfriend now, I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend than you, Ayase."

"That being said, don't take me for granted! I'll have you know that I'm a very jealous girl! You'll love me the most, won't you?"

"Love you...the most?"

"The most as in...you'll love me for than Saori-san?"

"Of course."

"More than Kuroneko-san?"

"Yes, more than Kuroneko."

"More than...Kirino?"

I wanted to reply 'yes, more than Kirino' but for some reason, these words got stuck in my throat and just wouldn't come out. I tried to say them, but something in the back of my mind stopped me from doing so. As much as I like Ayase, I couldn't just place her above my sister like it's nothing.

Suddenly I realized how **heavy **the silence had become. I saw Ayase's eyes slowly fade into yandere mode, and as fear struck my heart, I quickly asked,

"Ayase, do you love Kirino?"

I saw the yandere flicker out of her eyes as she said, "What? Of course I do! More than anything in the world!"

"I see. Then that same amount of love you have for Kirino...I will have for you."

Ayase was perplexed at first, but as she analyzed the words, I saw the warmest smile emerge from her lips as a soft, rosy blush filled her cheeks. She gently said,

"Thank you. That's probably the best answer you can give me, isn't it?"

I felt myself grinning stupidly as I heard those words. She then said,

"Close your eyes, Onii-san."

I closed my eyes, and a few seconds later, I felt two soft and smooth lips land on my cheek. I suddenly opened my eyes and stared at her, perplexed by what Ayase had just done. I could tell that she too was embarrassed by it, but she didn't care. She just gave me a smile, then burrowed her head in my chest.

"Let's keep this a secret from Kirino for now, okay?"

I nodded to agree. This was an issue that Ayase and I would have to overcome eventually; however, each and every battle has its own time, and now was certainly not that time.

As I held Ayase in my arms, I wondered if she could feel how hard my heart was beating, or the overwhelming ecstasy I felt in my chest at the moment. She probably couldn't, because I'm sure she felt the same way about me, and the heart can only handle so much happiness at once.

These words that I told her: "Then that same amount of love you have for Kirino...I will have for you." Sometimes I look back, and wonder if I really understood how much meaning those words had for Ayase. Speaking honestly, I probably didn't. But I was definitely right in saying them. I'm so glad I said them.

So glad.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

**Ayase POV**

Onii-san accepted my confession! I've never been so happy in my life...

Although to be honest, the confession did not go as expected. Onii-san is just so stupid and childish sometimes, I mean I'm trying to convey my feelings to him and he responds with marriage! Seriously, just because he feels comfortable with me doesn't mean he can tease me so much!

But then again, that silliness is a part of him. And I've fallen in love for all of who he is, for every part of his personality.

I'm on my way home now. He offered to walk me home, but today was way more excitement than I could handle so I declined his offer. Especially because I had just kissed him, it was so embarrassing! That was my first kiss ever, of course I'd be really nervous afterwards! But kissing is...a lot funner than I thought it would be...geez, I'm thinking weirdly now.

I made my way around two in the afternoon. Despite everything that happened today, it was still really early. I spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. Eventually the day turned to night; I had dinner, took a shower, and prepared to go to sleep. The time was 9 'o' clock, and I was all ready to end the day until my phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID. The number was blocked and the name came up as 'restricted.' I ignored it. Then my phone rang again with the same 'restricted' caller ID. Annoyed, I finally took the call. I heard a deadly voice sound from the earpiece.

"Hello Aragaki-san. It was quite rude of you to ignore my first call."

At first I was about to demand who the caller was. But the voice was so stinging that I instantly guessed who it was.

I said, "Hello? Is this Kuroneko-san?"

"Yes, it is I, Kuroneko. I won't beat around the bush; why were you with Kirino's older brother today?"

"You mean Onii-san? I already told you that he was helping me buy those DVDs for Kirino!"

"You need someone to help you buy things? Are you a child?"

"How rude! It was my first time going to Akihabara, having a little help is completely fine!"

"I would be inclined to accept your shallow argument and rest this case, but I can't help but feel that you had some...ulterior motives today. Were the DVDs really your only goal?"

"Wha...What are you implying?"

"I am implying that you were seducing my senpai today."

"Wha! W-w-what are you saying!? How dare you accuse me of such a thing!"

"Your exaggerated response reflects the truth."

"Grr, stop this immediately! I will hang up the phone!"

"Listen up, girl. You better stop interacting with my senpai. Let me be the first to tell you: that man's heart is already occupied by his little sister. If you really are her best friend, than you of all people should know this."

I was going to deny everything that she said, but the words got caught in my throat. I couldn't deny her words because, in the very back of my mind, I knew I agreed with her. Even though Onii-san accepted my confession, I have the feeling that Kirino is still number one in his heart. Kuroneko went on:

"Do you understand? If you try to be close to my senpai, than all that awaits will you be emptiness and failure. He may be kind to you and even flirt with you, but he only does so because you're a friend of his little sister. And if you attempt to be anything more to him, then all your efforts will be dissolved. So stop doing what you're doing."

"You can't tell me what to do! Onii-san's heart is his own, stop acting like you know everything about him!"

"Please stop running from the truth. Besides, that man would never fall for a bitch like you."

Suddenly my mind filled with anger. Hearing those words, hearing her call me a bitch, just made me mad with fury. As I dug my fingernails into my bed, I started chuckling sarcastically, lightly at first but it soon turned into a mocking laugh. I slowly said,

"Oh _really? _Onii-san wouldn't fall for a _bitch _like _me?_

I could tell that Kuroneko was taken aback. "This malicious laughter...I see, so you aren't just any bitch."

"That's right, I'm not just _any_ bitch. _This_ bitch is the girlfriend of Kirino's older brother."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, I'm Onii-san's girlfriend now. I confessed to him today, and not only did he say yes, but he even proposed to me. So what was that you were saying about Onii-san not falling for a bitch like me?"

"Are you speaking the truth?"

"I see that you're in denial. I wonder, who's the one that's _really_ running from the truth?"

"Ugh, do you realize what you've done? Do you realize the consequences of your selfishness?"

"All I realize is that I am Onii-san's girlfriend and Kirino's best friend, and I will remain as both no matter what you say!"

I heard nothing but silence. I felt my cheeks pulsating and flushed from all the arguing. This girl really knows how to get on my nerves! Who does she think she is, acting so high and mighty! She knows nothing about me!

Suddenly I heard her laugh. She curtly said,

"How naive."

Annoyed, I asked, "What did you say?"

"I said that your way of thinking is naive."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because I know exactly what the outcome of this situation will be."

"Oh, so now you can read the future?"

"I can't read the future. But I can look to the past as a reference. And the past tells me that you will eventually have to choose between Kyousuke and Kirino."

"The past? Why will I have to choose between Onii-san and Kirino?"

"Because once upon a time...I had to."

And then she hung up the phone. As I put my phone on the nightstand and turned the lamp off, there was only one thought on my mind:

Being Onii-san's girlfriend is going to be a lot harder than I thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone, Epik121 here. Sorry for the really long wait, this last bit of school always hits really hard every year and I haven't had a lot of time to write in between school and tests and stuffs like that. But here's the next chapter, enjoy!

* * *

The time is 9:58 AM. I am sitting on a bench in the usual park. I am also waiting for Ayase to come for our date.

Our first date! I only asked her out yesterday and she already asked for our first date! I have the whole thing planned out! It took me hours to think of activities outside of the house that would keep her occupied and entertained. I made sure to exclude my house at any point of the date because of...well, Kirino. I've thought of a couple hypothetical scenarios of telling Kirino about my relationship with Ayase; none of them are good, I'm sure about that much.

To be honest, this date was really rushed for some reason. Ayase called me up during the middle of the night and almost kind of forced the date on me. It's not that I didn't want the date, but she didn't have to call me while I was asleep. She could've called this morning and I would've said yes all the same. I wonder if something happened to her last night? Nah, must be my imagination.

"Onii-san! Down here!"

Ten 'o' clock sharp. That girl is so punctual...and pretty. And neat. And polite. Now all I have to do is keep a knife away from her and she'll be the best girlfriend in the world!

I rushed to her and said,

"Morning Ayase! Are you alright?"

"Good morning Onii-san. And umm...yes, I'm fine as I always am. Why, do I look sick?"

"No you don't look sick. I was just worried that you might be a bit tired, you did call me really late last night."

"Is that it? Please don't worry, I got plenty of sleep. I just...really wanted to see you today."

My heart fluttered at those words. This pretty and sweet girl is now my girlfriend, it's almost too good to be true!

The date started off normally. We took the subway to a nearby shopping mall, shopped for a little, and then stopped for lunch. It was a little _too _normal in fact. She hasn't gotten mad at me once, and in my mind we seemed like the picture perfect couple. The girl holding the guy's hand, the guy walking shoulder to shoulder with the girl; it was just a really typical date. It was kind of boring, because Ayase and I are anything but a typical couple.

Because the date was so normal, the date also seemed kind of...forced. Like Ayase felt the _need_ to have this normal date for some reason. And I don't like that, not one bit. Or maybe I'm just being silly?

"Onii-san, are you done with lunch?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah I'm done!"

"Hmm then let's see...I think now is a good time for the arcade!"

"Umm arcade? I didn't know you were into games Ayase..."

"No no, that's not why! Just come..."

She dragged me over to the arcade, and as soon as I walked in I could feel the heat of the gamers and the humidity due to their sweat. I guess it wouldn't be that odd if a couple came here to hang out but...it's not really the first thing I would have in mind either.

She pulled me over to a less popular part of the arcade. When we stopped, we were in front of a...photo booth? Ah, I see now, she wants to take a photo! She turned around and asked me,

"Onii-san, you have some spare change left from lunch, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Do you need it?"

"Yes please."

She took the change and slipped the coins in one by one. Once the coins were in, the panel on the photo booth turned on, and without even consulting me, she chose the heart frame. I was really happy that she chose the heart frame, but at least she could have asked for my opinion first; it feels like she's rushing through this...

We got in and took the picture. When the photo came out, I noticed that I smiled a lot brighter than usual. Looking at the photo, I thought I was pretty good-looking for once (I usually wouldn't say that about myself). And then there was Ayase next to me, smiling perfectly as usual. I could feel her brilliance radiating from just the photo; I guess it's just a result of all her modelling.

Ayase quickly took the strip of photo stickers, separated it in half, and gave half the stickers to me. She then quickly took out her phone and stuck a sticker onto the front of it. She gave it a quick look, nodded in satisfaction, and put away her phone looking very content with herself.

Then she gave me a blank stare. She just kept staring at me, and I just stood there confused with the stickers in my hand. After a few seconds of staring, she asked,

"Onii-san, aren't you going to put a sticker on your phone?"

"Oh umm...do I have to?"

Suddenly her eyes sank into yandere mode, and she eerily approached me as she uttered,

"What's wrong with putting the picture on your phone, Onii-san? You're wholly committed to me as my boyfriend, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am! Please forgive me, I'll even put two stickers on my phone!"

Her yandere faded, and I quickly plucked off two stickers off the strip and stuck them on the front of my phone. It's not that I'm embarrassed about Ayase, it's the opposite actually. But still, as of now I'm nervous about letting people know about us. Because of Kirino.

Ayase took a quick look at my phone, and gave a small nod of satisfaction like she did after she stuck her phone with a sticker. I put the phone back in my pocket and we continued to roam the mall for a few hours. After that, we finally decided to head home.

We walked in awkward silence. To be honest, I was still feeling worried and intimidated: worried because of how affected this date felt, and intimidated because of how Ayase coerced me into sticking the stickers onto my phone. I wasn't sure what to ask or say, but eventually Ayase broke the silence:

"Hey, Onii-san, I'm sorry about confronting you about the stickers and your phone earlier."

"No no, it's alright Ayase. I should've put the stickers on the moment I got them. Actually, I'm happy that you wanted me to put them on!"

"Oh, I see...but I was still being rather rude about it then. It's just that...I really, really like you, Onii-san."

"O-oh...I like you a lot too, Ayase-"

"And I wanted to make sure that you're mine, that you'll be wholly committed to me. I'm sorry for being so brash about it."

I stopped the walk and held Ayase by the shoulders. She was a bit startled by the contact, but I comforted her:

"Ayase, I think you and I both know that I liked you way before you liked me. Why would I ever be unfaithful to you?"

"Well...it's just that...Kuroneko-san..."

"Hm? What about Kuroneko?"

She looked away at the ground, refusing to answer my question. I bluntly asked,

"Ayase, did something happen last night?"

"...Yes, but let's talk at the park about it, is that alright?"

"That's just fine."

* * *

We arrived at the park. Ayase led me over to the jungle gym and took a seat on one of the metal bars. I followed suit and took the bar next to her. I then asked,

"Okay, so what happened last night?"

"...Kuroneko-san called me last night,"

"She? Called you? Why?"

"I guess she was annoyed that you and I were together in Akihabara. She called to tell me to stop being with you, to stop flirting with you. She was talking to me as if she knew what was best for me."

"I see...so then what did you say?"

"I got so mad that I just flat out told her that you and I are going out now."

"You said what!?"

"Wh...what's wrong? There's nothing wrong with telling her, I mean, we are going out, right?"

"We are, but...Kuroneko might...Kirino will...never mind, just keep going."

"Umm alright...but before I do, can you answer a question of mine, Onii-san?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Were you in a relationship with Kuroneko-san before?"

Ugh, I was not prepared for this question (although I feared it would come up the moment I heard Kuroneko's name). I sighed, and gave her the answer,

"Yes, I was. Why, did she say something about it?"

"No, but she said...well, how did that relationship end? Did you break up with her or was it the other way around?"

"She broke up with me."

"Huh...that's strange..."

"Why?"

"The way she ended the conversation, it made it seem like she was forced to break up with you."

"Hmm...by the way, can you finish your story?"

"Oh! Of course! After hearing that we were going out, Kuroneko-san said that our relationship will undoubtedly fail, and that I'll have to choose between you and Kirino...because she had to."

All I could do was groan. What was I supposed to say?

Ayase quickly followed up with a question, "Onii-san, do you regret breaking up with her?"

Okay, _now_ what am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to tell Ayase that I don't regret it to make her feel good? But that's not true, I did feel sad when Kuroneko broke up with me. Am I supposed to make my girlfriend feel secure by lying to her? No, I can't lie. I've always told the truth, I've come this far because I've always told the truth, and I'm not about to change now.

"Yeah, I think so...I sometimes wonder how things would have been had she not broken up with me. And I often ask myself where things went wrong, and why she wanted to break up."

"Have you thought of an answer? I mean, do you know why she broke up with you?"

"Well I don't know exactly...but if there's one thing I can say, it's this: Kirino influenced our break up, I think I know that much for sure."

"Huh, so it turned out to be like that after all..." she said in a 'I knew it all along' kind of voice.

Ayase suddenly jumped off the jungle gym and faced me. She looked me dead in the eye and declared,

"Onii-san, let's go tell Kirino about our relationship right now."

Hearing this, I was shocked at first. But I could see the steadfast determination in Ayase's eyes as she said this to me, and I couldn't help but feel my resolve hardening in return. I smiled and gave a brusque nod at her, and jumped off the jungle gym too.

"Let's head to my house Ayase," I confidently said.

We started walking over, but soon Ayase stopped in place. While looking at the ground, she silently extended her hand out. I took her hand, and wrapped my fingers in hers. She had clammy palms, and her fingers were trembling slightly. I took a look at Ayase's face; despite her anxiety, she still had a strong stare and a confident smile.

She is really scared. She's terrified, actually. But she's also being brave, and can be stubborn as hell if she wanted something. Yup, that's the kind of girl that Ayase is. That's the kind of person that my girlfriend is.

With every step I took with Ayase, I felt more confident, and when I reached the end of the park, I felt like I was ready to take on the world. My heart was pounding, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me. But as soon as we left the park, I looked to my left to see...Kirino!?

Kirino was standing right there, as if she was waiting for us the entire time. My heart skipped a beat, and it felt like my blood flow stopped to a halt. Out of reaction, I loosened my hold on Ayase's hand, but Ayase gripped my hand all the more tighter, so tight that it felt like she was crushing my hand. I looked at Ayase; all the confidence and bravery she had her in eyes before was all gone. It had been replaced with fear, absolute fear at the sight of Kirino. Seeing Ayase's morale gone dropped my morale too.

I uttered, "H...How did you know that we were here?"

Kirino coolly said, "Kuroneko warned me this morning, said that I should be suspicious about you and Ayase because the two of you might be going out. I thought something was fishy when you left the house early and Ayase called out of work."

Kirino creeped up to Ayase and me and calmly asked, "What are the two of you doing here...together?"

I stammered, "We...uh...I...err..."

I was too nervous to even say a thing. But I felt Ayase tighten her grip on my hand as she said,

"Onii-san...Onii-san and I were just coming back from our date! That's what we're doing here together!"

"A...**date?**"

Kirino's voice was dripping with venom. The way she said it sent prickles up my spine.

She looked at me and said, "You better stop whatever you are doing to force Ayase to go out with you. I don't know if it's blackmail or whatever, but I will seriously call the cops and have an investigation about this."

I whipped back in anger, "Hey! I'm not blackmailing Ayase or anything, we just came to really like each other so we agreed to go out! What's wrong with that!?"

Kirino turned to Ayase, "Ayase, are you really going out with this guy? Of your own free will?"

"Yes, Kirino. As a matter of fact, I was the one who confessed to Onii-san."

Kirino opened her eyes in shock. "But...but why!? Everytime we brought up..._this_ guy in our conversations, all you said was that you hated his guts and wanted to kill him! How could you betray your own words and just go out with him!? Isn't that hypocritical!?"

"Listen Kirino, I know it may seem weird, but surely you of all people should understand how I feel!"

"Wha...what's that supposed to mean?"

"Whenever you talk about Onii-san, you start off by saying that you hate him. But after that, you tell me about all the kind things he's done for you! You hate him but love him at the same time, just like me! Shouldn't you of all people should understand my feelings?"

"Me? Love him? Hah! I'll die before I ever love this idiot! Just because I admit that he's done some good things doesn't mean I love him! It just means that he can be useful from time to time, that's all! I still hate him!"

"That's exactly how I felt. Until I admitted that I loved Onii-san."

"Wha-Wha-What did you just say!? How can you say that so freely!?"

"Because I'm not confused about my feelings anymore. I'll say it again if I have to: I love Onii-san."

Kirino was speechless. Even I am a little shocked to hear Ayase say it so freely. It made me feel bad for not being so open about our relationship, for wanting to hide it from others. If she can be that proud about me, then I can definitely be that proud about her. After all, she's the one that's out of my league, not the other way around.

I finally started to contribute: "Kirino, please listen. Ayase loves me, and I love Ayase. Being with her makes me happy, I understand why she's your best friend. Please Kirino, accept our relationship."

She retorted, "No, no, no! There's no way that my older brother can go out with my best friend! It's just not right! I will never accept this!"

Ayase stepped up, "Can I listen to your reason, Kirino?"

"My...reason?"

"Yes. There must be a reason as to why you're so against me being with Onii-san."

"Because...because...because I don't want you to have a bad boyfriend! You deserve so much more Ayase, and you know it! This...pervert doesn't deserve you!"

"Is that really the reason? Is that the only reason?"

"Also because it's just wrong! It'd be so weird and awkward to have my best friend going out with my older brother!"

Ayase closed her eyes and let out a sigh of exasperation. She then opened her eyes and said,

"Admit it, Kirino. You don't want us to go out because you're scared that I'll steal Onii-san away from you."

Kirino opened her mouth to say something, but it almost looked like something got caught in her throat because she couldn't reply. She clenched her teeth in seething anger, and I noticed tears forming around her eyes. She shook her head a few times to compose herself, then yelled,

"No way! I'd never be jealous of that idiot! He can just die for all I care!"

Ayase quickly stepped forward and embraced Kirino. I could see Kirino's shoulders trembling as she cried into Ayase's chest. It almost looked everything was suddenly resolved...until Kirino pushed away from Ayase. I quickly stepped in to intervene, but Ayase gave me the 'I got this' hand. She was unfazed by the push, as if she predicted that Kirino would do that. I had no idea as to how Ayase was being so composed when she looked so scared just a few minutes ago.

Ayase said, "Kirino, I-"

"Alright! Fine, I'll admit it! I may hate my older brother, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to just give him away either! If you go out with him, he won't always be there for life counseling! He's stupid and perverted, but I need him! He's my only older brother in the world, and I'm his only little sister in the world, and as his little sister, I say that I can't stand the thought of letting some other girl take his time with me! There, I said it! So now you can't go out with him!"

Ayase was awestruck. I was awestruck. Neither of us expected Kirino to be so honest to us.

Looking at how shocked Ayase was, and how strongly Kirino opposed the relationship, I figured it was finally time for my part...

I walked straight up to Kirino and looked her dead in the eye. Then I flat out said,

"Kirino, I love you."

Kirino's cheeks exploded in a mixture of red. "Wha-Wha...What are you saying now, you idiot!? Do you want me to kill you!?"

"But I mean it! I love you! And hate you at the same time! I know it's a weird thing to say to my sister, but those are my real feelings. It's just like you said: you're my only little sister in the whole entire world, and I would never let you go! If some other guy just flew in and swept you off your feet, I'm pretty sure I'd be just as mad as you are! It feels awesome when you come to me for life counseling, and I know that if you got a boyfriend then those life counseling sessions would come to an end, and I would not let that happen! If it came down to it, I'd marry you if it meant keeping you by my side! I love you!"

Now Kirino was the one awestruck. All she could do was stammer in confusion as she blushed even more. Seeing the opportunity, I got down on my knees and put my head to the ground. I said,

"But that's just it. I love you so much, and I love Ayase just as much as I love you. But it's a different kind of love. I said I'd marry you if it came down to it, but in reality I wouldn't do that because you're my little sister. The love I have for you is different from the love that I have for Ayase, but they're both just as strong as each other, which is why I say I can't live on without the both of you. I promise that I won't let Ayase distract me from our life counseling sessions. I will do my best to be both the best brother _and_ the best boyfriend ever, and if I break this promise, then you have every right to deny Ayase and me. So please, please, _please_ accept our relationship."

Kirino opened her mouth to respond, but once again the words were stuck in her throat. After stammering for a few seconds, she finally sighed. She closed her eyes and lowered her head in defeat. She conceded,

"...Fine. I'll let you date Ayase."

Ayase's eyes lit up, as did mine. Kirino kept talking,

"I guess...even if the two of you go out...you'll always be my older brother, and Ayase will always be my best friend. That much will never change, right?"

Ayase responded, "Of course! No matter what, we'll always be best friends! And nothing can change the fact that Onii-san will always be your older brother."

"Then fine. I accept this relationship. Do as you two please."

Ayase and I looked at each other and then embraced each other in happiness. I picked her up and swung her around in circles, though that might have been a little too much, because she yelled, "Hey! Onii-san, put me down! Don't swing me around like that!" But whatever, I kept on doing it anyway. It's a lot of fun. But Kirino suddenly butt in with a,

"**However**, I do have one condition."

I let Ayase down as both she and I gave Kirino our full, undivided attention. Kirino stipulated,

"You two are free to date, but Ayase can't call you Onii-san anymore!"

...What?

What kind of condition is that?

Ayase looked just as dumbfounded as I was. She asked,

"Umm...what's wrong with calling Onii-san...well, Onii-san?"

"Because the 'Onii-san' title is reserved for the little sister! You're just his girlfriend, you can't call him that! Go find another name!"

I looked at Ayase and said, "Well, it's a pretty reasonable condition. It's not all that hard to keep."

"I guess so," she said, "well then, let's brainstorm a new name for you, shall we?"

"You sound like you're naming a dog..."

She giggled at that one. She closed her eyes in thought, and after a few seconds, she said,

"How about I call you Kyou-chan, like Onee-san does?"

"That's definitely no good."

"Then what about...Kyousuke-shi?"

"Hey! You're not Saori!"

"Then...what does Kuroneko call you again? Nii-san? But that won't work either, right?"

"Please stop that, just think of something original!"

"Something original? Well now that you say that, nobody really just calls you by your normal name, right? Nobody just calls you 'Kyousuke', right?"

"Huh, that's true, nobody does call me Kyousuke. Except for my mom but she doesn't count."

"Then it's settled! Kyousuke it is! Kyousuke, are you ready to go home?"

I don't know why, but the way she says Kyousuke really touched my heart for some reason. Nothing special, no Kyou-chan or Kyousuke-shi or Nii-san, just plain old Kyousuke. My motto has always been 'Normal is best' but I'd forgotten about it since I've been having all of these crazy happenings with my sister and her friends. Having someone to call me just plain old Kyousuke...feels good. It makes me feel at rest.

I contently replied, "Yeah, ready. Let's head home."

I was about to take her hand, but Kirino broke the two of us up. She yelled,

"Another condition! You two will not act lovey-dovey in front of me! Am I understood?"

I sighed; so Kirino was still not completely okay with Ayase and me. Ayase, however, giggled a bit at Kirino's reaction. Ayase concurred,

"Fine, that's a fair condition."

So we walked home. Eventually Ayase had to part ways, so we said goodbye and she left. Kirino and I walked home in silence. The awkward silence sustained all the way home. Even when we made it back, we still hadn't said anything. It wasn't until we went up the stairs that she spoke up,

"Hey."

"Yeah," I brusquely replied.

"Nothing will change, right?"

"Yup."

"Thanks...aniki."

Then she went into her own room, and I into mine. And then we called it a day.


End file.
